Eithad, Singapore or Virgin to London?

[bobcat]

I'm about to start planning a family holiday to Europe.

Looking at potential to upgrade using points, capacity to earn status, capacity to earn points and ease of access to gold benefits (more or less in that order) .. who do you think I should be booking with?

 

[bullerdude]

Some thought on the pros/cons.

Upgrading: Options are limited to the VA SYD-AUH flight or transferring points to Singapore and upgrading.

Earn Status: Fairly equal across each airline. One thing to note is that on Singapore you can earn full-Y status credits by booking Flexi Savers which can be good value.

Earn Points: If you book through the VA site you should get a gold bonus regardless of carrier, but flight on EY/SQ can be more expensive this way and you lose the ability to select seats etc. If you book directly through EY you will get some bonus points. If you book directly through SQ you will get no bonus points.

Gold Benefits: Priority checkin, priority security and baggage etc. are pretty equal. The main difference is lounge access. For VA/EY transiting through AUH as a gold you only have access to the Al Rheem lounge when in economy which is in a different terminal (If in Business Class you can access the Business lounge). For SQ transiting through SIN you will have access to the Kris Flyer Gold Lounge when in Economy, which isn't the best lounge but it is in the same terminal (If travelling in Business you would be able to access the Silver Kris lounge, which is much better than the Gold lounge).

If you are a gold member and travelling in economy then I would generally recommend travelling on Singapore as they have a good service in economy and at least you will have easy lounge access at the transit point. If you become a platinum member then the argument can change as Platinum gets access to the EY First Class lounge at AUH which is in the same terminal and quite good (currently a shared lounge due to renovations).

If you are travelling in business then being a gold member becomes somewhat irrelevant as business class which mean you have priority and lounge for the full journey, both VA/EY and SQ.

I am presuming that you are probably going to purchase economy as upgrading is your main priority.

Personally, I would probably go SYD-AUH-LHR, where the SYD-AUH leg is the VA 777 and the AUH-LHR leg is on EY (Booking via the VA website). This would allow you to upgrade the SYD-VA leg directly using VA points which can be decent value. You of course will have to do the AUH-EY leg in economy.

But others may have better options.

NB: Being gold you will get lounge access in MEL/SYD and London for VA/EY/SQ even in travelling in economy. The lounge access only varies in AUH and SIN.

 

[Caversham04]

Personally, I would probably go SYD-AUH-LHR, where the SYD-AUH leg is the VA 777 and the AUH-LHR leg is on EY (Booking via the VA website). This would allow you to upgrade the SYD-VA leg directly using VA points which can be decent value. You of course will have to do the AUH-EY leg in economy.

I'd suggest checking out the likelihood of getting 3 or 4 upgrades on the same flight - I don't have direct experience but other threads on this forum would suggest it's unlikely. This means that some of you would be sat in economy for some or all of the flights, so I'd suggest using SeatGuru to get details of the economy seat width and pitch on each aircraft. I can't comment on Virgin economy but note that SQ's economy seat width is significantly better than on Etihad (comparing their 777 products); SQ run 9-abreast whereas Etihad are 10-abreast. SeatGuru (or other contributors) can give feedback on comparisons for other aircraft types. My view is that I have tried Etihad economy once (as a 6ft+ tall rugby player) and will NEVER do so again....... YMMV, as always.

 

[notzac]

My view is that I have tried Etihad economy once (as a 6ft+ tall rugby player) and will NEVER do so again....... YMMV, as always.

I concur. EY is fabulous in business, but their economy cabin is miserable if you're tall (though I don't know what their A380 product is like, which you might be able to get on the AUH-LHR leg).

 

[andye]

For lounges, worthwhile keeping up to date with child guesting rules if flying economy. My understanding is that you are only likely to be able to bring in 2 people per Gold card (including children over 2) in EY and SQ lounges. VA have been happy to have extra children in my experience (including in the Air Koru lounges).

It is one of the benefits of family pooling that even if there is only one regular flyer, it's not terribly hard to have 2 Gold Cards in the family. On this note, ability for spouses/children to accumulate Eligible Sectors is sometimes a reason to ticket on VA

 

[sqflier]

remember you can buy EY upgrader at airport. Done it several times.. SYD-AUH approx. AUD1600 AUH-EUROPE AUD800...only downside is points/status as per original ticketed fare...EY in Y is not that bad, I am 185cm tall and I pick an aisle seat of the middle section if must travel in Y...

 

[toowongman]

My view is that I have tried Etihad economy once (as a 6ft+ tall rugby player) and will NEVER do so again....... YMMV, as always.

This - 10-across in Y on Etihad's 777. No thanks! Fly SQ, the Singbots will take care of you.

 

[Ausbt]

I concur. EY is fabulous in business, but their economy cabin is miserable if you're tall (though I don't know what their A380 product is like, which you might be able to get on the AUH-LHR leg).

I've recently flown EY's A380 and 777 in Y. I thought the A380 was excellent. Fantastic AVOD and the Y seat was generally more comfortable than I'd been expecting. The 777 in Y wasn't quite as fresh. I did however manage to score window of the two seater (bulkhead directly behind) I think from memory around row 17. That was convenient - with only one passenger to bother getting in and out I'd definitely go for this seat again. Of course you have more pax to plan for so possibly irrelevant.

As a Plat, I was irritated to have to argue my case for admittance to the Etihad Diamond lounge. I was completely turned away at first seeing me trudge back from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1's lounge, where I was admitted. Realising later they were wrong to deny me, I didn't hold back with my thoughts on a return visit.

 

[pblackie]

remember you can buy EY upgrader at airport. Done it several times.. SYD-AUH approx. AUD1600 AUH-EUROPE AUD800...only downside is points/status as per original ticketed fare...EY in Y is not that bad, I am 185cm tall and I pick an aisle seat of the middle section if must travel in Y...

sqflier have you utilised the EY upgrader on a ticket purchased through VA or only through EY? I have a PER - AUH flight coming up but purchased the ticket through VA so not sure if I will be able to use the upgrader option.

 

[Eggsbenedict]

sqflier have you utilised the EY upgrader on a ticket purchased through VA or only through EY? I have a PER - AUH flight coming up but purchased the ticket through VA so not sure if I will be able to use the upgrader option.

Pretry sure once you are at the airport everything goes out the window re code/share, where you bought the ticket even whether it's paid or reward. It was a few years ago now but we upgraded a J reward booked though Velocity at SYD to F for about $700 SYD - AUH

 

[fitzy6]

Hi All,

Keen reader of AFF but don't post much.

I've got a similar question re: flying with VA partners to Europe as a VFF platinum, I'm looking to book a Y return ticket to London in July and have these options:

Option 1: Etihad (Fare Class U)
B777 for MEL to AUH legs & AUH to LHR but A380 from AUH to LHR
Access to First Class Lounge but 7 hour stopover

Option 2: Etihad (Fare Class U)
B777 for MEL to AUH legs & A380 from AUH to LHR legs
Access to First Class Lounge with 2 hour stopover but $240 more than Option 1

Option 3: Singapore Airlines (Flexi Saver)
B777 for MEL to SIN legs & A380 from SIN to LHR
Access to Kris Flyer Gold and $90 more than Option 1 (Etihad short stop over)

Option 4: Virgin Australia (Flexi)
Same fights as Option 3 Singapore but $300 more than booking via Singapore

I'm leaning towards Singapore due to the flexi saver fare class & avoiding Etihad's 10 across 777 flights however I wont get the chance to use Etihad's first class lounge to shower and refresh. Are there any paid shower options in Singapore as it looks like the Gold lounge doesnt have any? What do you people think will be the best option factoring in both comfort and points earn?

 

[Mr Pumblechook]

First of all I'd rule out all EY flights due to their 10-across 77W and the 17' seats.

17' shoulders are an XS shirt size so unless you're certain that you and the pax sitting on either side of you are XS at the most, you'll be overlapping all the way MEL-AUH-MEL. Sure the EY lounges are lovely but after six hours of leaning against a stranger I think memories of the loveliness will be little comfort.

Next I'd work out the pros/cons of SQ:
SQ saves cash, gives you online seat selection, and a VLML etc. meal selection if you need.

VA gives you an extra ~20,000 points for $300 or 1.5c per point (you'll get the 100% WP bonus on a VA ticket). What would you redeem your points for?

I'd redeem them for domestic Y (yeah not great value but it suits me) which gives me 1c per point value so in this case I'd book SQ but if you use your points for domestic J then that probably gives you 2c per point so in that case I'd live with the hassle of no online seat selection and buy a VA ticket on SQ, then struggle through the KrisFlyer Gold lounge in SIN for a few hours but enjoy what I think is the best Y in the world.

 

[bullerdude]

I would go with Option 3 as Singapore economy I've heard is miles more comfortable than Etihad's 10 across seating - to me this is better than getting the first class lounge on Etihad. With Singapore you do at least get decent lounges in Melbourne and London.

Plus you will get Singapore brand new economy class seats on the 777-300ER which are supposed to be even better than they current seats on the A380.

There are also some pay-per-use lounges that offer shower options - such as the ambassador transit lounge - Harilela Hospitality

 

[Rob.au]

Are there any paid shower options in Singapore as it looks like the Gold lounge doesnt have any?

The KF Gold lounges in Singapore don't even have toilets.

When flying with SQ to the UK or Australia from Singapore, you'll be in Terminal 3. The Ambassador Transit Lounge is on the same level as the KF Gold Lounge, you just need to walk north through the upper level food courts (including the newish "Singapore Food Street"), to just past the Butterfly Garden. The price list is on their website - you can pay to just have a shower. The showers were recently renovated and should be spotless. I notice though they charge about double in T3 compared to their T2 price list. I've never used the T2 Ambassador lounge, so I can't comment on why that is.

 

[Obzerva]

Hi All,

Keen reader of AFF but don't post much.

I've got a similar question re: flying with VA partners to Europe as a VFF platinum, I'm looking to book a Y return ticket to London in July and have these options:

Option 1: Etihad (Fare Class U)
B777 for MEL to AUH legs & AUH to LHR but A380 from AUH to LHR
Access to First Class Lounge but 7 hour stopover

Option 2: Etihad (Fare Class U)
B777 for MEL to AUH legs & A380 from AUH to LHR legs
Access to First Class Lounge with 2 hour stopover but $240 more than Option 1

Option 3: Singapore Airlines (Flexi Saver)
B777 for MEL to SIN legs & A380 from SIN to LHR
Access to Kris Flyer Gold and $90 more than Option 1 (Etihad short stop over)

Option 4: Virgin Australia (Flexi)
Same fights as Option 3 Singapore but $300 more than booking via Singapore

I'm leaning towards Singapore due to the flexi saver fare class & avoiding Etihad's 10 across 777 flights however I wont get the chance to use Etihad's first class lounge to shower and refresh. Are there any paid shower options in Singapore as it looks like the Gold lounge doesnt have any? What do you people think will be the best option factoring in both comfort and points earn?

I had the similar dilemma when planning a European trip for summer.

I live in Melbourne but have ended up doing Etihad out of Brisbane, it avoids the 10 across 777 out of Melbourne, it does however swap it to a 9 across 787, so not sure if that parts going to be a win, do however think the load factor will be lower out of BNE than MEL so more chance of scoring an empty seat beside.

managed to book it all out on VA flight numbers, and the fare was way cheaper out of Brisbane than Melbourne, so having the MEL-BNE return tacked on the front turns it in to a nice little complimentary status run given that MEL & BNE are common rated for fares

 

[OzEire]

The 10 across EY 77W was hardly a problem on our trip late in 2014. All flights were less than 50% full in Y and many people had a whole row to lie in.

Ps. In and out of MEL.

 

[stux]

I had the similar dilemma when planning a European trip for summer.

I live in Melbourne but have ended up doing Etihad out of Brisbane, it avoids the 10 across 777 out of Melbourne, it does however swap it to a 9 across 787, so not sure if that parts going to be a win, do however think the load factor will be lower out of BNE than MEL so more chance of scoring an empty seat beside.

managed to book it all out on VA flight numbers, and the fare was way cheaper out of Brisbane than Melbourne, so having the MEL-BNE return tacked on the front turns it in to a nice little complimentary status run given that MEL & BNE are common rated for fares

The only real reason to book with VA, is if you'll be flying on VA29/VA30 to AUH. If you are, then you can upgrade to J for 45,000 points each way.

Not sure what you're other upgrade uptions are, but I believe you won't be able to use VFF points

 

[smit0847]

If you will be travelling in Y SQ will be much better than EY. If you make it to J they're both good.

 

[Demon_fan]

The only real reason to book with VA, is if you'll be flying on VA29/VA30 to AUH. If you are, then you can upgrade to J for 45,000 points each way.

Not sure what you're other upgrade uptions are, but I believe you won't be able to use VFF points

This is what I did recently. Managed to upgrade to PE to AUH and Business on the way home.

 

[vitagen]

I would go with Sq, don't worry about Lounges in sin as you can find a good feed all around the airport for a reasonable price. Also changi airport is awesome for walking around in